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“Nurturing the Eco-Citizens of the Future” Co- Founder Ana led with a deep enthusiasm a group of volunteers, especially children, who got very motivated and excited to utilize iNaturalist, identify and learn about our local ecosystem in DC, and participate in a major annual citizen science project. This past summer, we held our annual EcoWomen Photo Contest in honor of Earth Day. Thank you all who participated and submitted photos. We were thrilled to receive so many stunning

As most of America continues to deal with the effects of COVID and quarantining, it’s evident that we are all in need of feel good stories. This Valentine’s Day, we asked some members of the DC EcoWomen Executive Board to share what exactly they loved about the environment. Each board member was allowed to respond in whatever way they desired. Let us know what you love about the environment by tagging us on social media! “I love the endless opportunities for adventure and lea

By Artisha Naidu Finding a green job is hard enough. Throw in a 14.7% national unemployment rate, along with a global pandemic, and right now it seems nearly impossible. I’m happy to tell you that it’s not impossible. In fact, with the right effort and tactics it’s still surprisingly achievable. No matter if you’re a seasoned professional or fresh out of school, follow the five steps below to guide your green career search. But most importantly, stay positive and take care of

By Elizabeth Hogan My every day during this strange experience of quarantine and pandemic is largely spent – as it is for many of us – in front of a laptop. Almost all of my time at my computer has been focused on combatting the latest efforts of the plastic industry to exploit COVID-19 to reverse regulations on plastic bans and fees, which limit ocean plastic pollution. The plastic industry is asking state and city governments to reverse the laws that do so much good for th

By Rita Foth Empty shelves in the grocery store. Shortages of essential protective gear for frontline medical workers. Long delays on shipping. While these shortages range from severe and life-altering to minor inconveniences, everyone has experienced some degree of product unavailability during the pandemic. A light-hearted yet infuriating example is the pillaging and plundering (when did we all turn into pirates?) of the toilet paper aisle. How many of you have gone from st

By Hannah Nelson Washingtonians have a complicated relationship with the ginkgo tree. The day I discovered the ginkgo outside my apartment was one of those distinctly DC beautiful days: the trees were that fresh green that comes at the end of spring and stays for early summer, the sky so blue you’d think it was cloudless, too. The tree in question is on the grounds of the National Cathedral, in a pocket of grass that used to be my spot for fair-weather reading. Until this yea

By Leah Kaplan As a child, I was terrified of traversing my room’s navy blue carpet in the dark to make it to the bathroom after watching the cinematic masterpiece Deep Blue Sea, a movie about genetically engineered sharks that go on a rampage. Many years later, I’m proud to say that I did safely make it to the bathroom and that I’ve since overcome my fear of sharks. While I’m still somewhat embarrassed about those childhood fears, I imagine that many of us have similar anecd

By Kelley Dennings In the face of the climate crisis, young people are starting to question whether they should have kids. Many are worrying about the planet their children would inherit, and what adding to the population would do to our already-suffering environment. Research predicts one million species could go extinct in the coming decades due to climate change, habitat loss and other human-related pressures. Meanwhile reproductive rights face a barrage of attacks at the

By GraceAnne Casto What is International Women’s Day? International Women’s Day is a day when the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women are celebrated around the world. It is also an opportunity to accelerate gender equality in our present day. Despite all the advancements the global community has made toward respecting and recognizing women and girls, there is much more left to do. There is a long history of women, and men, celebrating March 8th glo

By Dajah Massey In recognition of Black History Month, DC EcoWomen celebrates the following eight women for their accomplishments in environmental spaces, their advocacy for the African American community, and their continued impact in the Washington, D.C. area. Josephine Butler Josephine Butler confronts DC Mayor Marion Barry, 1978 – photo and caption from https://washingtonparks.net/josephine-butler/ Josephine Butler was born in 1920 in Maryland. She was the daughter of sha

By Callie Yow New Year’s Day has come and gone. After envisioning the joy of manifesting the amazing adventure that 2020 will hold — and deciding that I’ll aim to get more sleep, make more time for friends and family, read more books and volunteer — I realized that one thing I left out of my New Year’s resolutions was how to be more green in the new year. I came up with the following guide to help other eco-women live the best (and greenest) year in 2020. 1. Use mesh produce

The holidays are almost here — which means that the season of eating is about to begin! DC EcoWomen board member Erica Meier shares how you can make a difference for our planet during this holiday season by choosing to eat a plant-based diet. By Erica Meier The international scientific consensus is clear. Report after report paints an alarming yet sobering scene: Global warming is real, it’s happening now and human activities are largely to blame. The forecast is bleak: Worse

By Hana G. Fashion has a major impact on the environment. Each year, the United States, alone, sends about 21 billion pounds of textile waste to landfills. Most clothing is made of materials and chemicals derived from fossil fuel-based crude oil. This means that it’s nearly impossible for clothing to decompose. If burned, the materials that make up clothing release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. When clothes are buried with other waste in landfills, moisture and heat

By Meagan Knowlton It only takes five second to produce a plastic spoon. It takes 500 years for that spoon to break down. That disparity is one of the many reasons we all need to take action to reduce the impact of our waste on the environment. One way to do that is to clean up trash already littering our natural spaces. I recently attended the International Coastal Cleanup day hosted by the Ocean Conservancy (OC) at Kingman Island here in D.C. – a man-made island in the Anac

As the United Nations 2019 Climate Action Summit gets underway today in New York, DC EcoWomen asked UN Women  to send us their thoughts about why it’s important to integrate gender equality into the fight against climate change. The following blog post by Ulrika Modéer, UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, and Anita Bhatia, UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships, ta

By Kyaira Ware, Community Conservation Manager at Potomac Conservancy Working in the environmental field can be a fun, rewarding alternative to the traditional corporate-office position. Whether you’re looking to change careers or simply want to see what’s out there, scroll down to read about five rewarding jobs for women in the environmental field! Community/Grassroots Organizer If you can enjoy working one-on-one with communities, organizing events, and managing large group

By Tara Lundy, DC EcoWomen member We all know how important the health of our planet has become. Each year, startling statistics are coming out about the rise of ocean levels, the amount of pollution and number of animals suffering from climate change. With the Earth needing us to be on its side more than ever, it’s so important to keep inspiring others to get involved. It can be easy for us to get caught up in our own worlds but helping to make a difference in our Earth’s he

By Cameryn Aliya Burnette, Co-Founder and Vice President, Howard University Water and Environment Association Going green can be difficult to commit to due to the sheer variety of choices you’re faced with in the process. I was confronted with many new questions when I first went green. Natural materials or cruelty-free? Do organic labels matter? and Am I really bout to drop a band on just one dress? I dived into sustainable living headfirst so you don’t have to. Here’s my li

By Nicole Bateman, DC EcoWomen Board Member Nearly two years ago, I arrived in D.C. from Seattle. Fresh out of graduate school, I was anxious to become active in a community of environmentally minded people in the District. DC EcoWomen was immediately recommended to me by a former graduate school colleague. During my first event, the Fall Meet and Greet, I spoke to one EcoWoman about recycling and composting and then another about in the ins and outs of proposed carbon pricin

By Leda Huta, EcoWomen Co-Founder and Endangered Species Coalition Executive Director We had heard that other efforts to do something similar had sputtered out. But there wasn’t much to lose, except perhaps our pride. We organized the first event – the very first EcoHour – and invited our first speaker—Alisa Gravitz, CEO of Green America. We had no idea if anyone would show up. But 15 or so women did. Today, there are more than 5,000 women in the DC EcoWomen network, and 1,00